1. Field
The disclosure is directed to fiber optic connectors along with other structures and methods for using them. More specifically, the disclosure is directed to fiber optic connectors and other structures suitable for use with large core optical fibers and/or buffered fibers and methods for using these connectors and structures.
2. Technical Background
Optical fiber is increasingly being used for a variety of applications, including but not limited to broadband voice, video, and data transmission. Optical fibers may be formed from different types of materials such as plastic or glass depending on the application. Typically, plastic optical fibers (POF) have been used in short distance optical networks since they are relatively easy to terminate by untrained personnel. However, POF has limitations such as not being suitable for longer distance optical networks because the losses using POF increase dramatically with the transmission distance. On the other hand, glass optical fiber has extremely wide bandwidth and low noise operation with relatively low-losses over long distances. However, terminating or connectorizing conventional glass optical fibers is more complicated than terminating POF because it usually requires special cleaving tools and/or stripping tools for preparing the optical fibers. Moreover, conventional terminations or splicing of glass optical fibers may require a skilled technician and/or specialized equipment. For instance, fiber optic connectors for conventional glass optical fibers typically have a fine polish on the end face of the ferrule holding the glass optical fiber that is best accomplished in a factory setting with dedicated equipment. Field-terminated optical fiber connectors having a mechanical splice are available to the craft but are not typically used for short distance optical networks even though they are suitable for these applications.
Thus, there is an unresolved a need for a fiber optic connectors and other structures for use with glass optical fibers that are simple, cost-effective, reliable, easy to assemble, and which offers easy connection and disconnection for short distance optical fiber networks.